Malayalam author MT Vasudevan Nair's much-acclaimed novel Randaamoozham is all set to be made into a full-length film.
Titled Mahabharata, the film will see the complete actor Mohanlal play the lead role of Bheema, with an estimated budget of Rs 1000 crore, according to a press release.
The multi-lingual film, which is to be made in languages including Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and English, will also be dubbed into major Indian and leading foreign languages. The film is set to go on the floor in September 2018, for a release in 2020.
Mahabharata will be released in two parts, and the second part will be released 90 days after the release of the first part, the filmmakers said.
Speaking to The Hindu about the film, ad filmmaker and director VA Shrikumar Menon said,
“I met MT Vasudevan Nair two years ago and told him I am interested in making Randamoozham into a film. But he said it would require a canvas that was far larger than what regional Indian cinema could offer and that’s why he had never written a screenplay despite a lot of demand. I promised him I would bring in the best technicians by making it a “global” film. He then got to work and he gave me a fully bound script within four months."
Mohanlal, who took to Facebook to share the news, spoke at length about the background of the film.
In a video, Mohanlal shared his happiness of being part of a project, along with Jnanapeeth winner MT Vaseudevan Nair.
"Randaamoozham is the story of Mahabharata through the eyes of Bheema. Like all of you, I have also grown up hearing these stories. Like Mahabharata, Randaamoozham has deeply influenced me and I have already lost count of the number of times I have read the book. And then I nurtured the idea of Randaamoozham being made into a film. As an Indian, the story of Randaamoozham has to be brought before the international audience. I thank MT sir for showing faith in me for the role of Bheema," Mohanlal said in a video.
According to a press release, Dr B.R. Shetty, UAE based billionaire businessman and philanthropist is investing Rs. 1000 crore (USD 150 million) for the project.
Although the release does not reveal the names of rest of the cast, it makes promises of bringing in "some of the great names in the world cinema including some academy winners."